Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
Francophone Tourism
A 2008 study53 on the potential for attracting the Québec tourism market suggests that Cochrane
has several competitive advantages in this sector. Cochrane is located just two hours from the
Québec border, via Highways 11 and 101. Its nearest ne ighbours are Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing
and Timmins, part of a cluster of northern Ontario communities with significant francophone
populations. More than 60% of Cochrane residents are bilingual, facilitating the town’s ability to
offer services in both French and English.
Rubber Tire Market
Cochrane’s location on TransCanada Highway 11 is a tremendous advantage in terms of growing
its tourism industry, particularly in the self-drive or “rubber tire” segment. Moreover, its relatively
rural surroundings give Cochrane residents and visitors easy access to lakes, and snowmobile and
ATV trails. The community was built around Lake Commando, which serves as a hub location for
local festivals and events. There are fourteen accommodation facilities in Cochrane, including full
service hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and campgrounds. During the summer, these facilities
often host visitors taking the Polar Bear Express train that runs year round from Cochrane to
Moosonee.
Polar Bear Express Train to Moosonee
Ontario Northland’s Polar Bear Express train has carried goods and passengers between Cochrane
and Moosonee since 1964. Today, it operates five days per week, although during the summer
months there is an extra train on Sundays to accommodate tourist travel. We were unable to get
statistics on passenger numbers from Ontario Northland at the time this report was being written.
The Polar Bear Habitat
Cochrane opened its Polar Bear Habitat Centre in 2004. The Centre is the only polar bear
rehabilitation facility in the world. Visitors can swim “nose to nose” with the bears and learn about
polar bears in a unique setting. There have been challenges over the past several years related to
ensuring that there is always a resident bear at the Centre. However, the Centre has recently
cemented relationships with renowned bear researchers, and is repositioning its mandate to focus
more on generating new knowledge about polar bear physiology and behavior.
Currently the facility operates at an annual loss of approximately $350,000.54 The municipality
hired a consultant in 2013 to restructure the PBH Board and establish partnerships that would
make better use of the facility’s research capacity while generating revenues sufficient to sustain
the centre.
53
Gingras Associates (2008). Market Analysis of the Mining and Exploration Business, Air Cargo Opportunities and
Francophone Tourism for the Town of Cochrane.
54
Vukovich, Daniel (2009) Report on the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat and Heritage Village.
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